Danny Lee Wicker

On Sunday, March 2, 2025, our dear husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend passed away after battling Parkinson’s for several years.

Danny was born on Jan 26, 1946, in Durham, North Carolina to Elbert Lee and Janie Virginia Wicker. He was the oldest of three boys. The family later moved to Sanford, North Carolina. He graduated from Sanford Central High School. He was the class president in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. He was voted Mr. Sanford Central High in his Senior year. Danny loved all sports and was All State in Little League Baseball. He pitched a no-hitter as an eleven-year-old in a championship game. He was All Conference in High School football and baseball in 1964.

Danny attended a junior college for one year after high school and then joined the Air Force in 1965. Danny was stationed at HAFB and then spent a year in Taiwan. After serving 4 years, he decided to return home to North Carolina. In 1970 he returned to Utah and attended Weber State College where he earned a degree in Accounting. During college he worked at the Continuing Education Department. Upon graduating he was hired to work in the office at Wonder Bread in Ogden.

He met his sweetheart of over 50 years, Michele Rhees, at Weber State. They have four children, Kimberly, Robyn, Spencer, and Adam. Not long after Danny and Michele were married, Wonder Bread promoted Danny and transferred him to Los Angeles, California to be the Office Manager. He was quickly promoted to Controller, and they moved him back to Ogden, Utah. His next promotion took them to Dallas, Texas. There he was controller of one of the company’s largest operations. Realizing that the next promotion would require the family to move to parts of the country that he did not like as well as Utah, he decided to return to the state he loved and found employment at Futura Home Products in Clearfield, Utah. The opportunity presented itself to become the Controller at Great Salt Lake Minerals. It was during this time Danny started playing basketball at the LDS ward and was soon taking the LDS missionary lessons. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when he was baptized on December 6, 1982. The family went through the Salt Lake City Temple on a very snowy December 20, 1983, to be sealed together for time and eternity.

Danny always needed a challenge at work and after he helped to get things running smoothly at a company, he would become restless. It was at this time he found his dream job at Staker Paving. He started as the Controller and then became the CFO. He loved the fast-paced work, the people, and came to love the team feeling at Staker. As time went on and the more he interfaced with his boss, Val Staker, he would often comment Val felt more like a brother than a boss.

Danny put in many long hours learning every aspect of that industry. He absolutely loved everything about his years in that field of employment. He was given the opportunity to run Idaho Sand and Gravel, headquartered in Boise, Idaho and by that time it was a part of the Staker/Parson Company. Danny also had operations in Burley, Pocatello and Twin Falls, Idaho reporting to him. Again, he loved the people at Idaho Sand and Gravel and the other operations and thrived on the added challenges and responsibilities as a CEO.

He ended his career at Kilgore Companies. With his vast knowledge he held many positions there. He loved being given special assignments to solve and fix problems. From a young age Danny loved the challenge and reward of a hard day’s work and of learning something new while interfacing and helping those he worked with.

But, at the end of the day it was his family that brought Danny joy. He loved coaching his sons in basketball and baseball. As the coach of the 6th grade boys basketball team, they won the Layton City Championship. He coached his daughters’ softball teams. There are fond memories of attending their various games and also taking the boys to tournaments. Danny taught his children to ski and play golf. He would love to sit and listen to the girls play the piano. He always wanted to take piano lessons when he retired. The family loved to go to Phoenix and was able to take Val’s motor home several times, which the children just loved. The St. George area as well as Lake Powell holds many fond family memories. He loved to walk and hike on desert trails with Michele. They wore out numerous pairs of shoes while traversing those trails. He later came to appreciate Walt Disney World where he could act like a big kid.

Danny’s dream car from the age of 16 on was a corvette. He managed to buy his first corvette at age 50. Many fun trips were taken with Michele. Sometimes they would take their beloved Shih Tzus with them. There was very little room left in the car when the dogs went along for the ride. Listening to 70’s music with the fur babies curled up around his neck or on his lap made for a perfect 12-hour drive to Scottsdale or later on long road trips to visit their daughter and grandchildren in the Phoenix area.

He held several callings in the LDS church. Danny served twice in the Sunday School Presidency. He especially loved all the clerk callings he held. He loved visiting and providing service to the families he visited as a home teacher.

Soon after he retired at 75, he became ill with Parkinson’s. He was unable to golf, or ski, or hike those desert trails. He could no longer go to the temple and had to use zoom to “attend” sacrament meeting. He had a big heart with a fighting spirit and a testimony of the Savior and the Atonement that helped see him through to the end. The service provided by his children, especially towards the later stages of the disease, helped to buoy Danny’s spirits. We will deeply miss our “Danny Boy”. ‘Til we meet again.

He is survived by Michele, his sweetheart of over 50 years and their four children: Kimberly (Michael) Nelsen, Robyn Wicker, Spencer (Katie) Wicker, Adam (Jenna) Wicker: eight grandchildren; Jackson Hintze, Brenden Hintze, Bailee Wicker, Jace Wicker, Drew Wicker, Rhees Wicker, Brooks Wicker, Dani Wicker. Two brothers; Terry (Cecilia) Wicker, Ricky Wicker. He was preceded in death by his parents, Elbert Lee and Virginia Wicker.

We would like to thank IHC Hospice for their care of Danny and also Hidden Valley Assisted Living.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 17, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Lindquist’s Mortuary in Layton at 1867 N Fairfield Road, Layton, Utah. Friends may visit with family on Sunday, March 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. also at the mortuary and prior to the funeral services on Monday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Internment, Lindquist’s Memorial Park in Layton.